Lawsuit alleges woman was kidnapped by Lyft driver and gang-raped
Lyft is facing another lawsuit from a rider who says she was kidnapped and raped by a driver.
In the lawsuit, Alison Turkos says she was headed home from a Brooklyn bar when the Lyft driver kidnapped her at gunpoint. Turkos alleges the driver and two other men gang-raped Turkos after crossing state lines into New Jersey.
The suit was filed in the Superior Court of California for the County of San Francisco on Wednesday. According to the suit, Turkos dealt with severe trauma after the attack, including physical pain. When she reported the incident to Lyft, a representative or automated response offered only an apology and a partial refund.
The Lyft driver, who has only been identified as “Raggie,” might have been allowed to drive under a different name after the incident. According to Meghan McCormick, Turko’s attorney, Lyft has not confirmed whether the driver still works for the company. Lyft did not respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment.
The complaints in the suit also address the lack of safety precautions in Lyft’s business model. The suit calls for Lyft to revamp its safety protocols for hiring drivers and to not allow perpetrators to continue working.
Earlier this month, 14 women accused Lyft of mishandling sexual assault complaints. Many of the women claimed that Lyft stonewalled efforts to investigate their drivers. Also, much like in Turko’s case, the women say Lyft’s reps were barely responsive to their complaints.
In a statement published on Medium, Turkos said that Lyft has continuously ignored claims of sexual assault.
“Survivors deserve better,” Turkos wrote in her Medium post. “Lyft passengers deserve better. And I will not stop fighting until we get what we deserve.”
READ MORE:
- Lyft driver arrested for alleged rape of intoxicated passenger
- Lyft received a whopping 7 sexual assault lawsuits in a day
- Woman says her Lyft driver turned off app, took her on a terrifying detour
H/T Splinter News
The post Lawsuit alleges woman was kidnapped by Lyft driver and gang-raped appeared first on The Daily Dot.